REBM Flashcards
What is research?
a detailed study of a subject in order to discover information or reach an understanding. Doesn’t have to something new, can be confirming something we already know
What is a randomised control trial?
Randomised control trials- one group offered new drug and one offered a placebo, clinicians wont know who is being given what, known as blinding.
What is blinding and double blinding?
Blinding- researchers do not not who is given what treatment
Double blinding- researches and participants do not know who is given what treatment
What is a quantitive and a qualitative study?
Quantitative data is information about quantities, and therefore numbers, and qualitative data is descriptive, and regards phenomenon which can be observed but not measured, such as language.
What are post publication peer reviews?
provide robust commentary on the positives and negatives of a paper, making them becoming more reliant. Can be biased however
What are systematic reviews?
They review all the results of data on a question, and gives a transparent overview of all the results.
Different clinical trials can be included, but have to make a criteria to be reliable.
Takes lots of individual studies and puts them into one review. It gives bigger sample sizes and settles discrepancies as well as tries to remove bias.
What is done in trials to minimise ethics problems when it comes to consent?
all participants must give consent after being given a detailed explanation of what they are needed for. They must be given adequate time to consider, opportunities to ask questions and be able to leave at any time.
Data must be confidential and anonymous
What is research integrity?
Recognised as the attitude of habit of the researchers to conduct research according to appropriate ethical, legal and professional frameworks
Traits include reliability, honesty, respect and accountability.
Are animals still used in medical research?
Drugs must be tested on at least 2 animals before humans. Cosmetic testing on animals has been banned
What is the iterative approach to researching?
Researcher (without a hypothesis) may carry out further research and date collection to ‘test’ theories they are generating
In what 3 ways can a qualitative study occur?
1) researchers watching clinical settings (overt or covert)
2) open ended questions and interviews
3) documentary analysis to study how things have evolved over time
What is an inductive approach to research?
the researcher begins with specific observations and measures, and then moves to detecting themes and patterns in the data.
What is reflexivity?
Researchers considering their own beliefs, judgements and practises and how these influence the research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting
What is epidemiology?
the study of the distribution and determinants of disease in a population
based around 3 main areas: simple descriptions of disease patterns, identification of disease-causing factors and measuring the effectiveness of health care or public health interventions.
What is exposure, and does it increase or decrease the risk of developing a disease?
An exposure can be thought of as contact with or possession of a characteristic that is suspected to influence the risk of developing a particular disease. Exposures can either increase or decrease the risk of disease. An exposure that increases the risk of disease is often referred to as a risk factor. An exposure that decreases the risk of disease is referred to as a protective factor.
What is prevalence and incidence?
Prevalence- proportion of population with disease at one point in time. Incidence- new cases in population during specified time.
What is a cohort study?
This study type is observational (aka non-experimental) i.e. we do not intervene to change anything in people’s lives.
A cohort is described as ‘A designated group of individuals who are followed or traced over a period of tim
What is a complex intervention?
A complex intervention is described as an intervention that has several interacting components. Some of the ways that those components might interact: The behaviours of the people who are delivering or receiving the intervention, how the organization is setup and the degree of adaptation that’s allowed within the intervention.
What is at the bottom of the evidence based pyramid?
Expert opinion
What is a case control study?
In a case-control study patients who have developed a disease are identified and their past exposure to suspected aetiological factors is compared with that of controls or referents who do not have the disease
What is a cross-sectional study?
A cross sectional study measures the prevalence of health outcomes or determinants of health, or both, in a population at a point in time or over a short period
What is a comparative clinical trial?
A form of experiment in which an intervention is offered to participants who are then follow up to see what happens to them
What is a survey?
Something is measured in a group of participants
Questionnaire surveys measure people’s opinions attitudes and self-reported behaviours
What is a hypothesis?
A supposition or conjecture that serves as a starting point for further investigation by which it may be proved or disproved
